Fun with QR code

I've been playing around with QR (i.e. "quick response") code lately. You know, those little black and white patterned boxes that you are supposed to scan with your smartphone in order to get more info, go to a website or whatever. I started to imagine how you might embed QR code into home life. The first thing to come to mind was how cool it would be to have some modern pillows that had embedded information. Your décor could speak to your guests even more than it does now.

Now, I'm not about to appliqué a real pillow just to try it out, so I did some photoshop mockups:

This one says "Home Sweet Home." If you have a smartphone with a reader (I use Scan), you just have to scan it and the hidden message appears as text on your phone. Try it.

Here's another:

That one says "Be awesome today!"

If you were so inclined, you could take a traditional craft and update it with code. Cross-stitch or embroider a quote, for example:

"Women who make a house a home make a far greater contribution to society than those who command large armies or stand at the head of impressive corporations. —Gordon B. Hinckley.

Yep. It says all that.

Or how about an Amish quilt?

"Before Prozac, there was quilting"

But what does all of this have to do with photos? 

Check out this amazing QR code portrait that embeds 9 years of a radio show (or rather, links to all of the episodes) into a giant mosaic. I'm not sure I would take on a project that ambitious, but I can imagine having regular photos with additional info embedded, or just the QR codes as links to entire albums online. Here is my ABC Paris collection:

 In a few days, I will post a tutorial on how to manipulate QR codes in ways that link them to photography.